SCIENTISTS have discovered an underwater volcano off the Pacific coast of Canada.
They said it was producing hot fluid and was covered by up to a million giant fish eggs.
The volcano is said to be a mile deep from the surface.
It’s active and provides a home for lots of different marine creatures.
The volcano was previously thought to be extinct.
It was discovered by The 2023 Northeast Pacific Deep-sea Expedition team.
Cherisse Du Preez told Live Science: “I’d estimate the summit of the seamount, which was covered in eggs, had — I don’t know — 100,000? A million.”
The eggs are said to belong to Pacific white skates, which are a lesser-known species.
They’re related to both sharks and rays and look a lot like the latter.
Du Preez told Live Science that the presence of the Pacific white skates egg nursery makes the volcano an extra special place.
The researcher told the outlet: “It’s a really special place on top of a really special place.
“The only previous finding of a Pacific white skate nursery was in the Galapágos and I think was on the order of a dozen or two eggs.”
The expert also posted a video of the expedition on YouTube.
“For the first time, a science expedition has explored life at all three of BC’s deep-sea biodiversity hotspots—seamounts, vents, and seeps—discovering and documenting vibrant communities, unique phenomena, and captivating never-before-seen behaviours.
“It is globally rare for these ecosystems to occur together, in such extremely high densities, and in domestic waters, but BC’s deep sea boasts an incredible concentration of seamounts, hydrothermal vents, and cold seeps owing to the region’s uniquely small, active, and nearshore tectonic plates,” the caption reads.
Researchers will continue to monitor the volcano and hope to protect the eggs there from fishing activities.
